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Rogers AT&T brings downloadable cell gaming to the Great White North.

By Jeffrey Simpson

Now there's more to do in the Great White North than whine that no Canadian teams ever win the Stanley Cup and read back issues of Alpha Flight comics. Canada is the latest country to enter the world of downloadable wireless gaming. Rogers AT&T became the first national carrier to offer downloadable games for cell phones when it launched its new service in early May. This follows a promotion by the wireless service provider to hype wireless gaming by offering a free download of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 to anyone who purchases a Motorola T720.

Currently downloads are only available for users of a fairly limited number of handsets, though the service is expected to expand as newer gaming models come out. Currently however, Canucks with a Nokia 6310i, 3590 and the Motorola T720 are able to use their WAP browsers to download from a selection of 7 launch games.

JAMDAT is providing all of the games, which include Bejeweled, Bowling, Downhill, YAHTZEE, Blackjack and Solitaire. Owners of the T720 still are able to download Activision's Tony Hawk 4, though they will now have to pay for it. While the initial selection of games, save Tony Hawk 4, is actually pretty weak JAMDAT's involvement means that soon Canadians may have access to some of their top games like Pitfall, EA's FIFA and Activision's Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer.

The games cost between $3 and $5 in colorful Canadian currency, which is about $2.20 to $3.75 in Yankee greenbacks. Also customers without a data access plan are charged for data usage, which at 5 cents a kb can range from $1.50 up to $5 Canadian (that's about 8.52 up to 28 Swedish Kronors for those keeping track).

Rogers AT&T is Canada's only national carrier currently running a GSM network. They boast around 3.7 million subscribers, give or take a curling team. In March they were the first carrier in Canada to hold a national gaming championship.